Drivers and owners talking — and NASCAR is listening

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

By the end of the month, NASCAR expects to have changed some of its racing rules, and, this time, drivers just might be happy about it.

Not only are they the ones helping to make the changes, but NASCAR also might be taking off some of their shackles.

"We're all in this together," Carl Edwards said at Sound & Speed. "That's cool. To have (NASCAR CEO) Brian France and (President) Mike Helton and all those guys ask, 'What do you guys think? How can we do this the right way? How can we deliver the best product to the fans?' — that's what that meeting was about and that means a lot."

Drivers have reacted positively to recent discussions regarding eliminating some restrictor-plate racing rules — including no-bumping zones and racing below the yellow line to improve position.

"The thought process is there are things that we have historically regulated that we might be able to give back to the drivers to regulate themselves like they used to," Helton said. "That's the principle behind the conversations we're having right now."

NASCAR officials will be meeting with drivers and owners in the coming week for their perspective on the cars, competition and what is best for the fans.

"This is an opportunity for us to take a step back," Edwards said. "We want to be something that people aren't leaving, but gravitating to."

Improvements include double-file restarts — "That's what the fans what to see," Edwards said. "That's hardcore racing. The racers like it. The fans like it."

The organization held town hall meetings last year, but this year, Helton said, "We broke the meetings down into smaller groups so people might feel more open to talk and share ideas, and we were able to probably get our thoughts across more efficiently with smaller groups.

"It's a new way for us to communicate to the industry — particularly the garage area."

Clint Bowyer said NASCAR is in a tough position regarding rule changes.

"They're darned if they do and darned if they don't," Bowyer said. "If they don't do anything, they get criticized, and if they do something, they get criticized."

Bowyer said it's up to the competitors to police themselves, especially at superspeedways such as Daytona and Talladega.

"At the end of the day, it's up to us to stay off of each other and not cause a big wreck," he said. "I'm looking forward to going and competing for a win. Superspeedways are fun. I enjoy them. They are dangerous, but … fans like to see a wreck every now and then."

Still, Bowyer said he opposes allowing cars to go beneath the yellow line to improve position. The yellow line forces drivers to remain on the bank through the transitions in the corners, he said.

"I think it's time for a change — time for a significant change — that our fans can see watching the race on Sunday through their TV," Bowyer said. "They need to see it's a change for the better, and they're going to stay tuned to watch."

One obvious change could be the look of the cars themselves, replacing the wings with spoilers.

Edwards said: "I've got to believe if you can pick from having wings on the back of them all the way to the other end where they drive like they did in 1985 with no downforce, I'd much rather have no downforce.

"I was beating up on (vice president of competition) Robin Pemberton to make that spoiler about an inch high — just something to keep the rear end from coming off the ground. That would be fine with me."